Some of Jon Jones’ UFC peers are among those frustrated by the heavyweight champion’s stance on fighting Tom Aspinall.
The GOAT contender has defended his title just once in the two years he’s held it. Against the wishes of many who hoped to see the heavyweight belts unified, Jones instead faced Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
Even after defeating the now-retired legend, Jones continues to dismiss talk of fighting Aspinall, the interim champion, and has instead hinted at an imminent retirement from the sport.
The ongoing uncertainty and the champ’s apparent indecisiveness have left many frustrated, resulting in a viral petition calling for the UFC to strip Jones of his title.
And the annoyance has evidently gone beyond just Aspinall and the fanbase.
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Miesha Tate says Jon Jones is ducking Tom Aspinall
A number of current and former fighters have expressed their dissatisfaction with Jones’ handling of the heavyweight title scenario, from the champ’s former rivals, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, to his division’s active contenders, Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov.
The latest to give their take was ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, and she falls on the side of those accusing Jones of “ducking” his weight class’ interim titleholder.
“I feel like Jon Jones is ducking Tom Aspinall,” Tate told Esports Insider.
“I think Jon Jones is an incredibly smart man and he is a technician and he knows when he sees someone that would be difficult to beat. And I think he isn’t confident that he has the pieces that it takes to put Tom Aspinall on the mat.
“Your job is to prove that you’re the best, and you’re supposed to move up to heavyweight and do that,” Tate added.
Daniel Cormier says Jon Jones not fighting Tom Aspinall would be ‘quitting’
Cormier, undoubtedly Jones’ most bitter rival in the UFC, has been the most vocal with his criticism.
While ‘DC’ has pushed back on suggestions that his former opponent is scared of Aspinall, he has concluded that ‘Bones’ likely fears being seen knocked out and added to a rival’s highlight reel for the first time.
Regardless, Cormier has firmly stated Jones should fight Aspinall. And in his most recent video on the matter, the former two-division champion claimed his longtime foe would be “quitting” if he retires before unifying the heavyweight gold.
“Not everybody gets to retire – Jon Jones will get to retire from fighting, but if he doesn’t fight this guy, then that’s just him quitting,” Cormier said.
“There’s one real fight for him and he’s not so old and washed up that he can’t take it. … If I was still fighting today, and I was still the heavyweight champion, and Tom Aspinall was the No. 1 contender, I would have already fought him, 1,000 percent.
“What it’s doing to Jon Jones is very disturbing and very hard for me to understand. Because in my mind, this guy is a fighter. I’ve seen him do it time and time again. It’s a very weird situation.”
Such comments from fans and fighters haven’t appeared to force Jones to budge on his stance. His most recent posts on social media included mocking reactions to the fan petition calling for him to be removed as champion.